Exposure to pesticides, even in small amounts, can lead to an increase in Parkinson's disease, according to a scientific study published on May 30. Research on nearly 1000 Parkinson's sufferers in five countries - one of the largest such studies to date - showed that high-level exposure upped the risk of contracting the debilitating brain disease by 39 percent.
Lower-level exposure, consistent with hobby-gardening use of pesticides, corresponded with a nine-percent increase, said Finlay Dick, the lead author of the study, published in the British journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Parkinson's is an incurable, degenerative disease of the central nervous system that causes uncontrollable shaking, along with impaired speech and movement. In approximately one third of cases it also results in dementia. The 959 respondents were questioned about lifetime exposure to pesticides and a variety of other chemicals, as well as other potential factors that may contribute to the illness, such as incidence within the family and head injuries.